Diasappointed with NCL Part 2

[rs12065]

I posted here about 2 weeks ago regarding our experience with NCL's customer service.

To recap, our cruise ( October 30, 2010 on the Sun) was cancelled due to the ship ultimately being chartered by a travel club. No problem with that, but trying to get any information out of NCL regarding whether the cruise was indeed cancelled was nonexistent for about 2 weeks. This led to speculation on Cruise Critic by many people on the NCL board as to why the trip was actually cancelled, and if so, for what reason. Our TA could not find out if the cruise was cancelled either, even after repeated calls by her to NCL.

 

Responders to my first posting on this issue made statements (and I paraphrase) that since our cruise was not until October that we "shouldn't cry over spilled milk" and "just rebook another cruise". Another responder stated that they did not want to speculate but then did speculate as to whether we actually used a reputable TA (We use the same TA for most of our travels, a local agency).

 

When we inquired about another cruise with NCL, which had a similar but not identical itinerary on the Spirit, our TA, who called NCL, was told that any OBC we were given on our cancelled Sun cruise would only be honored on the Sun and not any other NCL ship.

The TA said NCL was adamant about this. No other Sun cruise had dates or an itinerary to our liking.

 

So, now, two attempts at booking a cruise with NCL, and two issues, neither which was handled in a professional or caring manner..

 

Needless to say, we are not going to book any future cruises with NCL. Again, one of the responders to my original post, who stated that she had in the past worked in the field of customer relations, and who tried to make it sound that we over reacted to the original cancellation and non response from NCL, claimed that we should give NCL a chance to show a reason why we should give them our business. We did just that.

 

The result: 0fer2.

 

Dr. Bob

 

ps. Went to MY NCL and lo and behold, our reservation still appears, but when I too called NCL, I was told by a rep that the cruise had been cancelled. She told me she couoldn't give me the reason for the cancellation but to contact my TA (already done and now booking on the Carnival Glory due to a good itinerary).

[CruisenLexie]

If you had your air purchased it would be quite a big deal. We had a Hawaii cruise cancelled on us with HAL. It was about a year away when it was cancelled. I did not have my air yet so while I was VERY dissapponted (GREAT itinerary and EXCELLENT price) I just booked something else with another line. When I called HAL to see why it was cancelled they told me the leg leading up to the Hawaii portion from Australia had been cancelled and there were so many people on a back to back they cancelled this one as well. Whatever. It was a too good to be true price and itinerary.

 

I guess it can happen on any line. I did not read your previous post. I do not know why you had the credit in the first place that you could not use on another ship so whether they are being reasonable or not I have no idea. Seems if they cancelled the cruise on you they would be more lenient with such things. I am pretty sure we were offered a credit if we booked another cruise within so much time and not necessarily on the same ship.

 

I have a real problem with not getting answers though. Not that it changes the reality of your cruise being cancelled but it can be a sign of how they would respond in another situation.

 

I know it is frustrating but try to forget about it and move on to your next cruise and enjoy planning that one. :) It's not worth the time, energy or stress. Easier said then done...that I know.

[CruisinFromCT]

So sorry to hear about your troubles on NCL. I've had issues with NCL in the past, of course nothing compared to what you wrote, but I still think they are a great cruise line. "Crying over spilt milk" is an insensitive comment to make, and sometimes the so called experts on this board can really be silly.

 

Please enjoy any cruise that you book in the future, whether NCL or any other line.

 

I posted here about 2 weeks ago regarding our experience with NCL's customer service.

To recap, our cruise ( October 30, 2010 on the Sun) was cancelled due to the ship ultimately being chartered by a travel club. No problem with that, but trying to get any information out of NCL regarding whether the cruise was indeed cancelled was nonexistent for about 2 weeks. This led to speculation on Cruise Critic by many people on the NCL board as to why the trip was actually cancelled, and if so, for what reason. Our TA could not find out if the cruise was cancelled either, even after repeated calls by her to NCL.

 

Responders to my first posting on this issue made statements (and I paraphrase) that since our cruise was not until October that we "shouldn't cry over spilled milk" and "just rebook another cruise". Another responder stated that they did not want to speculate but then did speculate as to whether we actually used a reputable TA (We use the same TA for most of our travels, a local agency).

 

When we inquired about another cruise with NCL, which had a similar but not identical itinerary on the Spirit, our TA, who called NCL, was told that any OBC we were given on our cancelled Sun cruise would only be honored on the Sun and not any other NCL ship.

The TA said NCL was adamant about this. No other Sun cruise had dates or an itinerary to our liking.

 

So, now, two attempts at booking a cruise with NCL, and two issues, neither which was handled in a professional or caring manner..

 

Needless to say, we are not going to book any future cruises with NCL. Again, one of the responders to my original post, who stated that she had in the past worked in the field of customer relations, and who tried to make it sound that we over reacted to the original cancellation and non response from NCL, claimed that we should give NCL a chance to show a reason why we should give them our business. We did just that.

 

The result: 0fer2.

 

Dr. Bob

 

ps. Went to MY NCL and lo and behold, our reservation still appears, but when I too called NCL, I was told by a rep that the cruise had been cancelled. She told me she couoldn't give me the reason for the cancellation but to contact my TA (already done and now booking on the Carnival Glory due to a good itinerary).

[GORDONCHICK]

The thing that was mentioned more than once on your other thread was that this is not unique to NCL (the cruise being chartered and the lack of communication from what ever the cruise line). This can and does happen on any line so to eliminate NCL really does not take that possibility out of the equation.

 

It is a pity (and your loss, really) that you didn't book the Spirit simply because of OBCs. The Spirit is a lovely ship, and I don't know which itinerary you looked at, but the Western Caribbean one on the Spirit is really a good one.

[Globaliser]

When we inquired about another cruise with NCL, which had a similar but not identical itinerary on the Spirit, our TA, who called NCL, was told that any OBC we were given on our cancelled Sun cruise would only be honored on the Sun and not any other NCL ship.

Well, at least you were offered some OBC! We were cancelled with no ceremony or offers, and after the same experience with part of NCL not knowing what another part was doing during those two rather frustrating weeks.

 

I know that cruise lines do full-ship charters, and have to cancel previous bookings when it happens. I was expecting the cruise line to say "We're having to cancel your booking", with us replying "Oh, no!" But we were saying (via our TA) "NCL is about to cancel our booking", and NCL was replying "Oh, no!" - until the news had percolated through. Very frustrating.

 

We will now have to content ourselves with only the second of our planned two weeks on the Sun. But at least the whole of the market is now open to us for our "pre-cruise cruise".

[MrLee]

I can't believe they would limit your credit to only that ship!:eek:

 

You need to go up the chain I would think to find someone who actually might care about the people who sail with them (and may or may not return).

 

Good luck with whatever cruise you take.

[karent12]

We were also affected by the cancellation of NCL’s Sun 10-30 cruise. I have to agree that NCL customer service was and still IS very bad regarding this cruise. I had booked a b2b, 10-23 along with 10-30. My son also had booked a 10-30. When I finally got notice on 1-24 that the 10-30 cruise was cancelled, I immediately called NCL. I had previously been calling NCL to confirm our bookings everyday for the last 2 weeks. This was because of postings from others on our rollcall saying the cruise was being cancelled. NCL kept denying it was cancelled and actually allowed me to add a third person to my booking. I was more then a little furious when I got the email from NCL regarding the cancellation. But not wanting to spoil our vacation, I switched our bookings to 10-16 and 10-23. My son switch from 10-30 to 10-23.

Guess what happened?

Yep, the 10-23 cruise is now cancelled.

Mario with NCL customer service, doesn’t think to highly about these boards. When I asked him why some people knew about these cancellations for about a month, his response was only to say the formal announcement came on 01-24.

If I call up NCL today, they will say my 10-30 cruise is still fine. I have to ask to be put in touch with the department that is handling the Sun’s cancellations.

I am now aware that there is a strong possibility that the 10-16 cruise will also be cancelled.

And they still call their department Customer Service.

[rs12065]

The thing that was mentioned more than once on your other thread was that this is not unique to NCL (the cruise being chartered and the lack of communication from what ever the cruise line). This can and does happen on any line so to eliminate NCL really does not take that possibility out of the equation.

 

It is a pity (and your loss, really) that you didn't book the Spirit simply because of OBCs. The Spirit is a lovely ship, and I don't know which itinerary you looked at, but the Western Caribbean one on the Spirit is really a good one.

 

Of course I know that poor customer service is not limited to NCL. However, it has now happened twice within a few weeks with NCL. And, I am not a novice cruiser, yet have not had any customer care issues with Celebrity or Princess. How many tries to I give NCL? And, we "didn't book the Spirit" because of not getting the same OBCs but because we have now been twice treated shabbily by NCL.

 

What really irks me is having reponders tell me that "this can and does happen on any line". However, in my 13plus years of cruising on other lines this still has not happened. I know that any company in any field might have customer care issues, and when I get that twice from the same company I move my business elsewhere. It is not constructive to any argument to downplay any cruiselines issues by saying these things can happen anywhere. I am not naive to think otherwise. The fact remains we twice were dealt by NCL with poor customer service. The best CHEERLEADERS don't help a football team win. The players and coaches do.

 

Dr. Bob

I

[jaja]

"The best CHEERLEADERS don't help a football team win. The players and coaches do."

 

Good analogy :D--

[Globaliser]

Guess what happened?

 

Yep, the 10-23 cruise is now cancelled.

Oh, no - that's terrible. I am so sorry.

[spirit rev]

I, too, am somewhat surprised that the OBC would only be good on the Sun. A couple of years ago we had booked the Jade out of NYC. Then, NCL decided to keep the Jade in Europe and cancelled our booking. They offered us OBC if we booked the Gem out of NYC and about 1/2 the Gem OBC if we booked another NCL cruise, but not out of NYC. So, in that situation, NCL offered OBC for both a preferred re-booking and a totally different re-booking.

 

I agree with a previous poster - the Spirit is a wonderful ship to sail. Hope you enjoy your cruise on Carnival.

[SeaShark]

Of course I know that poor customer service is not limited to NCL. However, it has now happened twice within a few weeks with NCL. And, I am not a novice cruiser, yet have not had any customer care issues with Celebrity or Princess. How many tries to I give NCL? And, we "didn't book the Spirit" because of not getting the same OBCs but because we have now been twice treated shabbily by NCL.

 

What really irks me is having reponders tell me that "this can and does happen on any line". However, in my 13plus years of cruising on other lines this still has not happened. I know that any company in any field might have customer care issues, and when I get that twice from the same company I move my business elsewhere. It is not constructive to any argument to downplay any cruiselines issues by saying these things can happen anywhere. I am not naive to think otherwise. The fact remains we twice were dealt by NCL with poor customer service. The best CHEERLEADERS don't help a football team win. The players and coaches do.

 

Dr. Bob

I

 

 

Then maybe the players and coaches should stop whining to the "press" about their issues and just get back out on the field and play. :rolleyes:

[GORDONCHICK]

Of course I know that poor customer service is not limited to NCL. However, it has now happened twice within a few weeks with NCL. And, I am not a novice cruiser, yet have not had any customer care issues with Celebrity or Princess. How many tries to I give NCL? And, we "didn't book the Spirit" because of not getting the same OBCs but because we have now been twice treated shabbily by NCL.

 

What really irks me is having reponders tell me that "this can and does happen on any line". However, in my 13plus years of cruising on other lines this still has not happened. I know that any company in any field might have customer care issues, and when I get that twice from the same company I move my business elsewhere. It is not constructive to any argument to downplay any cruiselines issues by saying these things can happen anywhere. I am not naive to think otherwise. The fact remains we twice were dealt by NCL with poor customer service. The best CHEERLEADERS don't help a football team win. The players and coaches do.

 

Dr. Bob

I

 

If you notice my sig, I don't just cruise one line - and I'm not a cheerleader. If you go back and read your other thread, I did agree that it was not handled well and that the lack of communication was the biggest issue. Regardless of how many times you've cruised before, people are on here reporting much of the same as you have, just fill in the cruise line name. It is as much of a timing thing as being caught in a hurricane or tropical storm - doesn't happen every day but it does happen. I'm sorry you've had bad experiences, regardless of who the cruiseline is. It would be nice if the planning of a vacation would be stress-free and as enjoyable as we hope the vacation itself will be.

 

I've worked in different customer service capacities for quite a while and my personal experiences have brought me to these conclusions: 1) keeping my customer informed asap is usually the most important and hardest part of my job 2) there is only so much I can do (in my job, I can't help if the airport is closed and your FedEx delivery wasn't made....) but I will do all I can do for my customer to get the outcome they want and more 3) I cannot please everyone. I have one customer that simply cannot be pleased, though in my absence he will sing my praises while berating those filling in for me. 4) the most frustrating conclusion I've come to is that here in the US, there is so much obsession over "me" that we (in general) don't give pro-active customer service as much as we used to.

[tgptmp]

We were also affected by the cancellation of NCL’s Sun 10-30 cruise. I have to agree that NCL customer service was and still IS very bad regarding this cruise. I had booked a b2b, 10-23 along with 10-30. My son also had booked a 10-30. When I finally got notice on 1-24 that the 10-30 cruise was cancelled, I immediately called NCL. I had previously been calling NCL to confirm our bookings everyday for the last 2 weeks. This was because of postings from others on our rollcall saying the cruise was being cancelled. NCL kept denying it was cancelled and actually allowed me to add a third person to my booking. I was more then a little furious when I got the email from NCL regarding the cancellation. But not wanting to spoil our vacation, I switched our bookings to 10-16 and 10-23. My son switch from 10-30 to 10-23.

 

Guess what happened?

 

Yep, the 10-23 cruise is now cancelled.

 

Mario with NCL customer service, doesn’t think to highly about these boards. When I asked him why some people knew about these cancellations for about a month, his response was only to say the formal announcement came on 01-24.

 

If I call up NCL today, they will say my 10-30 cruise is still fine. I have to ask to be put in touch with the department that is handling the Sun’s cancellations.

 

I am now aware that there is a strong possibility that the 10-16 cruise will also be cancelled.

 

And they still call their department Customer Service.

 

Any idea as to why these cruises are being cancelled?? Thats horrible!!

[garycarla]

I was about to BLAST NCL about the OBC being only good on the Sun. But, then I read it again and I am not sure which OBC is being referred to.

 

If the OBC was part of the original booking (read discount) vs an OBC that was offered due to a cancelled cruise, then things are different.

 

Which is it?

[*Wink*]

Honestly, I feel for you, OP. I would be extremely frustrated with your situation.

 

I will add, however ;), Sometimes (and I mean "sometimes") when a situation like yours comes up, it would be in your favor to have booked directly with NCL.

 

Now I'm not saying your TA isn't fabulous, I'm sure he/she is, but I AM saying that NCL is brutal when it comes to working with people who have their booking with a TA.

 

Personally, I've had it with TA's. I book so far in advance, the fare is always excellent, and since I feel pretty confident in my cruising aptitude, I handle my own reservations.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think you could have been very persuasive with your reservation, and maybe been able to negotiate a satisfactory outcome.

 

But in this instance, you'll never know.

 

Good luck to you. I hope you have a wonderful time on your Carnival cruise. :)

[karent12]

Honestly, I feel for you, OP. I would be extremely frustrated with your situation.

 

I will add, however ;), Sometimes (and I mean "sometimes") when a situation like yours comes up, it would be in your favor to have booked directly with NCL.

 

Now I'm not saying your TA isn't fabulous, I'm sure he/she is, but I AM saying that NCL is brutal when it comes to working with people who have their booking with a TA.

 

Personally, I've had it with TA's. I book so far in advance, the fare is always excellent, and since I feel pretty confident in my cruising aptitude, I handle my own reservations.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think you could have been very persuasive with your reservation, and maybe been able to negotiate a satisfactory outcome.

 

But in this instance, you'll never know.

 

Good luck to you. I hope you have a wonderful time on your Carnival cruise. :)

 

Nope, that would not have helped. I have my booking with NCL directly. When I call them TODAY, they will tell my that my 10-30 cruise is okay. It is only AFTER I tell them that it has been cancelled and insist that I be put into contact with the department that is handling the Sun cancelled cruises do they respond differently. I now even provide them with the number.

 

Mario is the supervisor and his stance is pure company line. He even accused me of altering posts from Cruise Critic about passengers knowing about the cancellation weeks ago. He has no concept of customer service.

[karent12]

Any idea as to why these cruises are being cancelled?? Thats horrible!!

 

There are 2 groups that are chartering these 3 weeks.

It just would be nice to know this ahead of time, as NCL does. Who wants to go on a cruise that will have over half the passengers belonging to any group. They take over the whole ship and have private partys in rooms that are normally open to anyone.

[rs12065]

I was about to BLAST NCL about the OBC being only good on the Sun. But, then I read it again and I am not sure which OBC is being referred to.

 

If the OBC was part of the original booking (read discount) vs an OBC that was offered due to a cancelled cruise, then things are different.

 

Which is it?

 

The OBC was for the original cruise on the Sun for 10/30/2010. The OBC is not transferable to any other NCL ship as per NCL's response to our agent. Our travel agent said we could write a letter to NCL, but at this point, I"m not interested in moving up the chain of command. Not worth the effort. I don't want to "beg" a company to allow me to do business with them.

 

Dr. Bob

[garycarla]

In that case, and in all fairness, the OBC is part of the pricing. I am actually surprised that would transfer that to another cruise at all. To get that particular OBC, they increased the price of the cruise, then gave you a discount. That is all a cruiseline provide OBC is.

 

Getting an OBC as a result of something they did, like cancel a cruise is a different situation.

 

 

Yes, it still stinks they cancelled your cruise.

[juried]

It is truly worth it to write a letter to NCL.

You don't have to suck up or beg ... but you should be heard and get your complaint in front of the right person.

I was very unhappy with my cabin/balcony situation on an NCL ship in 2008 and while the issue could not be resolved during the cruise, I wrote a letter to NCL Corporate.

 

NCL Corporation Ltd.

7665 Corporate Center Drive

Miami, Florida 33126

 

I felt NCL took the time and listened to my concerns.

I received a considerable credit toward another NCL cruise.

Put in writing all the facts and how it has affected you personally. Mention your disappointment in how it has been handled (or mishandled) thus far, but give them a chance to rectify the situation.

Point out also that you are an avid cruise enthusiast and how many cruises you have already taken and it does not hurt to put in a dollar amount spent not only for past cruises but onboard purchases, excursions, etc.

I also stated that I was a Silver Latitudes Member, a past cheerleader of sorts on various message boards and blogs and the fact that I never complained ... until now.

If you ARE a VALUED customer, then let them show you how much they VALUE you.

Good luck,

Juried

[VIPERTRUCK]

It is truly worth it to write a letter to NCL.

You don't have to suck up or beg ... but you should be heard and get your complaint in front of the right person.

I was very unhappy with my cabin/balcony situation on an NCL ship in 2008 and while the issue could not be resolved during the cruise, I wrote a letter to NCL Corporate.

 

NCL Corporation Ltd.

7665 Corporate Center Drive

Miami, Florida 33126

 

I felt NCL took the time and listened to my concerns.

I received a considerable credit toward another NCL cruise.

Put in writing all the facts and how it has affected you personally. Mention your disappointment in how it has been handled (or mishandled) thus far, but give them a chance to rectify the situation.

Point out also that you are an avid cruise enthusiast and how many cruises you have already taken and it does not hurt to put in a dollar amount spent not only for past cruises but onboard purchases, excursions, etc.

I also stated that I was a Silver Latitudes Member, a past cheerleader of sorts on various message boards and blogs and the fact that I never complained ... until now.

If you ARE a VALUED customer, then let them show you how much they VALUE you.

Good luck,

Juried

Well said!!! I second that idea...

[arabrab]

In that case, and in all fairness, the OBC is part of the pricing. I am actually surprised that would transfer that to another cruise at all. To get that particular OBC, they increased the price of the cruise, then gave you a discount. That is all a cruiseline provide OBC is.

 

Getting an OBC as a result of something they did, like cancel a cruise is a different situation.

 

 

Yes, it still stinks they cancelled your cruise.

 

Yeah, and the next time United cancels one of my flights I guess I should expect them to not honor the price and help me get booked on another flight for that same price. After all, it wasn't the aircraft they'd originally planned to put me on. :rolleyes:

[gemsm]

Honestly, I feel for you, OP. I would be extremely frustrated with your situation.

 

I will add, however ;), Sometimes (and I mean "sometimes") when a situation like yours comes up, it would be in your favor to have booked directly with NCL.

 

Now I'm not saying your TA isn't fabulous, I'm sure he/she is, but I AM saying that NCL is brutal when it comes to working with people who have their booking with a TA.

 

Personally, I've had it with TA's. I book so far in advance, the fare is always excellent, and since I feel pretty confident in my cruising aptitude, I handle my own reservations.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think you could have been very persuasive with your reservation, and maybe been able to negotiate a satisfactory outcome.

 

But in this instance, you'll never know.

 

Good luck to you. I hope you have a wonderful time on your Carnival cruise. :)

 

I used to think this way too WINK but I have found that my TA gets me better prices then even NCL direct's cheapest fare and often with on board credit as well. Also without my TA we would never have gotten an upsell for our cruise next week. So that really can work both ways.

[jaja]

To the OP--I am sorry this happened to you...I know how disappointing and frustrating it can be..:(

 

I had 2 Carnival cruises cancelled..one and then the replacement for it --(CCL was trying a new Quebec itinerary..and decided almost a year prior to each..that there was not enough interest:confused:) I found out about both cancellations here on CC !

 

Do hope you enjoy your next cruise...;)